In Time's Tender Care
by Nightfall In The Snow
Summary: Set after the end of Half-Blood-Prince. Harry finds out he is not who he realy thought he was. Fate just never seem to give our young hero a break. Horcruxes. SLASH. Time Travel. Elfprince!Harry. Probably Mpreg. It gets better after the first two chapters!
1. The First Piece of The Puzzle

**In Time's Tender Care - Chapter 1**

* * *

**Genre:** adventure, romance

**Rating:** R for violence, language, probably some sex later on etc.

**WARNINGS:** This story contains SLASH which is a sexual relationship between two males, if that squicks you then get the heck out of here! This is fanfiction folks, if you want to read canon I suggest you stick to JKR. There also may be some light cursing. If this isn't your thing, you're going to want look elsewhere now.

**Synopsis:** starts at the end of book 6. Harry finds out he is not who he thought he was and takes a new path all of his own. in his jurney to find himself he will learn many things about the wizarding world and have many an adventure. **ElfPrince!Harry**.

**Pairings:** HP/?

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** This is the complete betaed chapter. R&R.

* * *

Chapter 1- The first piece of the puzzle

Tick

There was not a sound in the still and dark room but the sounds of the night, carrying from outside the second storey window of number four, Privet Drive.

Tick

The time was two minutes to midnight on the 30th of July. On the small bed on the left side of the room was a young man, who was just about to turn seventeen years old.

Tick

Now, to most people, their seventeenth birthday was a happy occasion indeed, but no more so than any other birthday, just the mark of another year passing by. To this particular someone though, this day would be a life changing experience. Harry, for that was the boy's name, was lying on his bed, unaware of how much different this particular birthday would be.

Tick

Harry sat up on the bed with his back to the windowsill. His eyes were set on the clock that was hanging above the door to his room. The longest hand of the clock was almost done with its last circle for the day. When the hand reaches twelve, the day will die, and will be reborn the next year.

Tick

There was now only but a few seconds to midnight. Tearing his eyes from the clock Harry turned around and stared out the window, waiting for the traditional midnight visitors that arrived on this particular day of the year. The night sky was black and not a star was in sight. His birthday presents and cards should be arriving by owl at any moment now, but Harry was not exited by the prospect. The only thought on his mind was that in a matter of seconds, he would be seventeen years old and therefore an adult in the eyes of the Wizarding world. For Harry Potter was a wizard… and that made all the difference.

Tick

Midnight.

The very moment the clock struck twelve a pack of diving owls appeared in view of the window, getting closer by the second. Harry watched passively as the owls got closer, only wincing once in awhile as a particularly strong ache flared through his head. For the last couple of days the aches in his head would come and go every couple of minutes and each time they came, they became a little stronger.

The coming owls were now almost at the window, forcing Harry to move to give them space to enter and land. As all the owls entered and settled on the bed Harry quickly and methodically relived them of their letters and packages. Most of the owls left right away, soaring out of the window as their parcels were taken from them, but two, one white as snow and the other very small and enthusiastic, stayed, and flew to rest in the cage that stood on the nightstand near the bed.

"Hey there Hedwig…" Harry went to pet the bird's fathers only for his fingers to be nibbled on. "You went all the way to Hermione's place just to get my birthday present? You're a big softie, aren't you?" Harry couldn't help but smile when Hedwig gave him a look as if to say 'You had better appreciate it!' Harry's smile got bigger as Hedwig glared at him. "I love you too, girl."

Harry sat on his bed and looked at the many packages and envelopes that were on it. He reached and picked one that looked like it was sent by Hagrid and opened it. Hagrid had long ago given up on giving him any homemade goods and now just sent him his favorite wizarding candies. He took out a chocolate frog, and while biting into it took another package from among the pile on the bed.

Harry continued working through the presents, packages and letters on the bed, putting the cards on the nightstand and dumping the presents on his chair, or on the floor. Ron got him a new Quidditch kit, since his last one had just run out. Mrs. Weasley sent him the usual cakes and fudge, and his dorm mates sent him mostly chocolates and the occasional book. When he opened Hermione's present, which seemed, of course, to be a book, he gasped in surprise. The title on the cover read: "The Wonders of Human Transfiguration - The Animagus Process in 3 Easy Steps". On the inside of the cover, and written in Hermione's small, elegant scrawl, was "Dearest Harry - Don't do anything I wouldn't. Love, Hermione". Harry smiled as he read the inscription; she was practically giving him permission to try it out. Putting the book on the nightstand beside his cards he continued to his last two birthday presents.

The first one was very obviously from the twins. It was wrapped in glowing, glaringly bright yellow and red wrapping paper. So bright, in fact, that it hurt the eyes. Opening it, Harry snorted at the content. It was a set of their most successful pranks and tricks and in the box there was also what appeared to be most of their joke shop's defense against the dark arts range. Not to mention, quite embarrassingly, a book which looked to be the Karma Sutra for gay wizards. Harry realized belatedly that the box must be enchanted as there was no way all of these things would have fit in the box otherwise. The note only said: "Happy birthday, partner!"

Harry gently put the box on the floor next to his trunk and winced as a painful throb hit him behind the eyes. He ignored it and turned to open his last birthday present, one that was apparently sent by Luna. Opening it, he tried to figure out what exactly she had sent him without reading her note, but had no such luck. Unfolding the card she sent him, he read her fairly ordinary handwriting that only said: "To wear at all times; it will protect you from time, space and garlic! p.s. To open, press the red button. To use, press the green button." Looking at the thing (for Harry still did not know exactly what it was), it was not hard to spot the red button. It was round, wide and hollow and right on top of it was the red button, though Harry saw no green one. Shrugging, he pushed the red button and was a bit startled when the thing broke apart in his hands. Inside, Harry found a set of magnificent emerald green jewelry, a ring and a necklace. The ring appeared to have some form of family crest on it, and both the ring and necklace had radiant emerald green marble stones in their center. Harry put them on his neck and finger respectively and stood up to go and look at himself in the closet's mirror critically.

His black messy hair had gotten rather long recently for no apparent reason, since he couldn't remember cutting it in the last six or seven years, and it had always stayed the same length in that time. Ever since his aunt tried to cut it off completely during his childhood and since it kept growing back in the morning, it never seemed to grow more than its usual bird's nest appearance. He had also gotten quite a bit taller in the last few months, and now stood at a respectable almost 1.75 meters. The necklace that lay around his neck was shining brightly in the moonlight outside his window, reflecting the same brilliant color as his emerald eyes. Harry stared spellbound at the shimmering stone on the necklace and reached with his hand to touch it. He felt a pang of disappointment when he pressed on the stone and it wouldn't budge an inch but then scowled at himself for thinking such stupid thoughts.

With a last look at himself he sighed and turned back to the bed to attend to the rest of his mail. The first letter he picked was an official looking one that was made out of thick parchment and was addressed to Mr. H J Potter, Head of the Potter family". Harry's eyebrows rose at the title and he opened the letter with growing curiosity. The top of the letter was decorated with the logo of Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We congratulate you on your coming of age and entering the world of adult wizardry. We are pleased to inform you that with your coming of age your family vaults will now be available for you to access as the as the sole heir to the family vaults, and therefore as the head of your family. You are hereby invited to tour the vaults at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. If you cannot attend said appointment please inform the bank by owl no later than tomorrow morning at nine o'clock. A goblin will be waiting for you upon your arrival at the bank, whereupon you shall present the front desk goblin with your current vault key and this letter._

_Kind Regards,_

_Gringotts Bank _

Harry's jaw hung open for a few seconds while he tried to comprehend the meaning of the letter he held in his hands. Why the hell did no one ever find it necessary to inform him that he had, from what he had read in additional pages of the letter, at least seven more vaults with his name on them, simply waiting for him to become an adult? Why hadn't Dumbledore? Or Sirius? Or even Remus told him this was coming?

While his mind kept running in circles, trying to look for nonexistent explanations, his hands unknowingly were already moving to open the next envelope and he soon found himself staring at the letter in disbelief. He had gaped at the letter for more than two minutes when he realized what it was he held. Trying to calm down, he took a deep breath._ 'Panicking will not change anything.'_ He thought letter he held in his hands looked strangely very old and yellow and the written words looked to have faded with age.

_Dear son,_

_If you are reading this letter then we are no longer among the living and are not able to rejoice with you on this joyous occasion of your coming to age. I am truly sorry that we cannot be there for you on this hard and important day; for it will be hard for you, and more than a bit important. In the next twenty-four hours you will be experiencing a great deal of pain and a transformation to your body that will leave you almost unrecognizable to those people who do not know you well enough._

_Son, if you are getting this letter then we have not yet told you that you are not completely human. You see, Lily, your mother, is not a muggleborn witch like everybody thought, but a true, full blooded royal elf. She was kidnapped as a small baby and was thought dead by her people, but was in fact adopted by the Evans family and raised as one of their own flesh and blood in the muggle world. Elves look exactly the same as human beings during their childhood (That is why children are not talked about among the elves until they come of age). They only come into their inheritance at the age of seventeen. The same age as you are now, son, which means that during this day you will come into your inheritance too and become en elf yourself._

_No one but us knew about Lily being an elf, and even to her own husband she told only a short time before our wedding took place. When she came into her inheritance at the age of seventeen she was smart enough to know what it meant and hide it with a glamour spell until she could research it more fully. As her birthday was in January 30__th__and during school time it was a wonder that she succeeded to hide it, but it also meant that nobody but her knew about it. It also meant that the royal guard of the elves did not realize she came of age until school let out for the summer. For you Harry they will come by the end of your birthday, when you are fully an elf. The council will train you and will take good care of you, so can trust them. You will probably spend most of the summer vacation with the elves, but when you return you will be a fully trained elf. You must not tell anyone of your true nature until you find your mate, and even then tell only those you trust with your life. The wizarding world is not kind to non-humans. _

_During this day you will also receive a lot of mail, from different banks across the world, which will declare you the sole heir to the Potter vaults. If you do not know about them yet do not be alarmed that no one told you, as only the head of the potter family know of the extant of our vaults. Even if we had been alive you would only have found out about them after your coming of age._

_Spend this day wisely, son, even though you will be in a lot of pain from the transformation. Visit all of the vaults you now own and the Potter properties so that the house elves will be able to acknowledge you as their master and give you the grand tour of each estate. In the first Potter vault at Gringotts there is a very special backpack with the Potter motto on it. It is a bottomless bag. In it you will find many useful things that generations of Potters have added to it, and a shrunken magical trunk with seven compartments and the keys to go with it. You need only to enlarge it to use it, and there are instructions and information about what's in there is in the bag too. Add to this bag and trunk anything that you think can be useful to you from the vaults and the Potter properties. Carry this bag with you always! You can shrink it and put it in your pocket, you can transfigure it and wear it on your back, you can wear it as it is, it doesn't matter as long as it is always on your person. You can never be too careful. The bag has a permanent featherweight charm on it so you need not worry about adding things to it at all. In this bag you will also find emblem ancestral portkeys to all and any of the Potter family houses and manors. Carry them around your neck as emergency portkeys. _

_The Potter ancestral castle has a big library that has in it all the Potter histories, anything and everything you need to know about elves, and a trunk of already carefully chosen books that every Potter that came of age since the first of our family had to know by heart. It will be hard to learn all that you require, but I trust you to understand the importance of keeping the family tradition as you are now the only living Potter, though hopefully not the last. In the library we also left you a diary that we wrote for you with things we think you should know in it. _

_Take care of yourself, we love you dearly and are proud of you no matter what. Learn all that you can, for knowledge is power. Never forget to live, and last but not least, follow the family motto, "To be loyal to one's self and to always stand strong." We gave this letter to Gringotts bank for safekeeping. You are supposed to receive it on your seventeenth birthday._

_Love,_

_Lily and James Potter (a.k.a. mum and dad)_

After reading this letter Harry figured that he should have read this one first. All the other letters seemed to be from different banks over the world, and one that seemed to be from a real estate agency with a book, **A BOOK**, that had all of the Potter properties listed along with information about each one of them. Harry was numb from the shock. He couldn't possibly own all of that, could he? By the size of the book and the amount of the letters on his bed he and his children for at _least_ seven generations forward can live very comfortably to old age without needing to work one day in their life.

That was too much for Harry to process at this time of the night and with his increasing headache. And he didn't even want to think about the fact that neither he, nor his mother, were human. Harry took his wand from the nightstand, cast a simple alarm clock charm that he learned from Hermione and went to sleep. Everything will hopefully look better in the morning, after a good night's sleep.

* * *

Nightfall In The Snow


	2. The morning after

**In Time's Tender Care - Chapter 2**

* * *

**Genre:** adventure, romance

**Rating:** R for violence, language, probably some sex later on etc.

**WARNINGS:** This story contains SLASH which is a sexual relationship between two males, if that squicks you then get the heck out of here! This is fanfiction folks, if you want to read canon I suggest you stick to JKR. There also may be some light cursing. If this isn't your thing, you're going to want look elsewhere now.

**Synopsis:** starts at the end of book 6. Harry finds out he is not who he thought he was and takes a new path all of his own. In his journey to find himself he will learn many things about the wizarding world and have many an adventure. **ElfPrince!Harry**.

**Pairings:** HP/?

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** This is the betaed chapter. R&R. A very big thank you to every one that reviewed. All three of you. The rest of you: Feed the author! Reviews makes the author happy!

Chapter 2- 

It was a very groggy Harry that woke up on the morning of the 31st of July with his wand buzzing and shooting colorful sparks. Getting out of bed and stretching very catlike, Harry walked to his bedroom closet with unconscious grace that until now he did not have. Without looking at the mirror, Harry picked a pair of worn, too big, jeans and a faded T-shirt with the words "I'm too sexy for my shirt" printed on the back of the shirt. That was a gift from the Weasley. Putting the shirt on, Harry noticed that it was somewhat tight on him even though the last time he wore it, it was quite large and the jeans that were usually much too big for him were now a lot more fitting.

"That's weird…" Taking his glasses from the nightstand and putting them on, Harry went back to the closet mirror and blinked in surprise at his reflection. The first thing that came to Harry's attention was not that he seemed to grow more than ten inches from his very humble five foot two from before the summer began to about six foot two now but the fact that he now had what appeared to be pointed ears sprouting from underneath his suddenly very long hair that reached his bottom and had a blue tinge to it. Then he noticed his eyes were glowing slightly. Harry then thanked Merlin that he read the letter his father sent him the previous night, for if he hadn't he would have been bloody terrified out of his mind. He also apparently lost the tan that he had acquired during the last few months, returning his skin to a creamy baby white.

"He wasn't kidding when he said no one would recognize me, was he?" Harry wondered to himself out loud. "Well, I guess I'll have to put on a glamour or something like that." Shrugging his shoulders, he went back to his bedside table, took all of his assorted finance letters and put them in a bag along with his invisibility cloak and his Firebolt. The first stop he would have to make today would be the Ministry of Magic, since some of the banks were quite far away. The only reasonable way to get to all of them today would be by Apparition and he would therefore have to stop at the ministry for his license.

Next went his velvet money sack into the bag. It did not have much left in it, but it would do until he will get to Gringotts. He would have to take the Knight Bus of course. He added to the bag one of his simple black robes and his invisibility cloak and made a note to himself to buy a new wardrobe, with some decent, properly fitted, clothing. It's not like he did not have the money… and he couldn't keep wearing his school robes for the rest of his life. He then went down on all fours and dug up his sneakers from under the bed. Pulling them on his feet without bothering to change his socks from the ones he has been wearing since yesterday, he was almost ready.

The only thing left now was his disguise. Not that anyone would recognize him as he looked now, but he would still draw too much attention if he went out in public as he appeared now. The first things that had to go were the ears. He actually did know some glamour spells from his many exploits with Hermione in the Hogwarts library, so he tried the most simple of them first. He had never tried any of them before, so it didn't come as a big surprise when it didn't work. The fact that after saying the incantation his ears, instead of appearing normal, completely disappeared however, did come as a surprise. 'Oops' didn't even start to cover this one. He then very fast and still wide eyed whispered "Finite Incantatum! Finite Incantatum!" His prayers must have been answered, for his ears returned to their now normal pointed self. Harry figured he was a bit too enthusiastic this time.

The now very pointed ears glared at him from the mirror, almost more pointed then before the failed charm, as if to spite him. Thinking maybe the spell was too strong for just the ears Harry tried a different spell but the incantation got him no results at all. Just then a very painful headache throb hit him and he glared keenly on his reflection. "Will you go away already?! I have no time for this crap!" And it much surprised him when they did. Go away, that is. His mouth opening and closing in a lame imitation of a fish and his eyebrows climbing up to his hairline, Harry was unable to do anything but stare at his perfectly normal ears for the next couple of minutes. He had just changed his ears by the power of his thoughts alone. The only person Harry has ever seen doing that was Tonks, but he couldn't be… could he?

Thinking he must be wrong Harry concentrated hard on his green sparkling eyes and imagined then in red, and almost jumped out of his own skin when the very eerie sight of him resembling the parody that was Lord Voldemort a.k.a. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named reflected back to him from the mirror. "Freaky…" It was going to be a lot easier to get around without being recognized with this new development. Looking at his reflection thoughtfully he started concentrating on different things in his appearance that were distinctively his and changed that to average and uninteresting. His long black hair shortened to about two inches long and turned to brownish, his now red eyes turned to honey like brown and lastly his now very decent six feet two shortened to match that of an average teenage boy. And to top it all, his most distinguishing characteristic of all, his lightning shaped scar, was gone.

Grinning from ear to ear Harry put his pack on his back and his wand in his right backside pocket and he was out of there. Taking extra care to be quiet, he got out of the house without anyone noticing and looked around him. He saw no one around so he pulled out his wand and tried to call the Knight Bus. Even though he knew it was coming, he was still startled when it appeared out of thin air at the end of the street with a bang and a puff of smoke.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Rita and I will be your conductor this evening." A very bored looking teenage girl stood at the door to the bus and seemed to be reciting a pre-written text. "Well, are you coming or are you going to stand there all day and stare?"

Shaking his head Harry got up on the bus and after paying found a good spot next to a candle bracket that he could hold onto until he will get to the ministry of magic. About five bangs later, with a very queasy stomach, they reached the phone booth that indicated the entrance to the ministry of magic. As Harry went into the phone booth and started dialing the knight bus disappeared with a bang leaving nothing but smoke behind.

"Welcome to the ministry of magic. Please state your name and business" Said a feminine voice from the general direction of the receiver. "Harry Potter, here to get my Apparation license." A clinking of a tag later and a short sliding down later and he was at the ministry's entrance hall. The hall was bustling with people as usual and Harry had no problem at all blending in the crowd to stand in one of the lines waiting for a wand checkup, which surprisingly, went without a hitch and the clack didn't even notice his name tag.

Harry made his way to the elevators, remembering from his visit with Mr. Weasley that the Department of Magical Transport was on level 6. When he reached the elevator doors he pressed on the button and waited impatiently, tapping his foot on the floor. Then he almost jumped as the very person who introduced him to the ministry of magic came to stand right beside him. Harry was just about to start explaining what he was doing alone in the ministry of magic when he remembered that he was in disguise and that Arthur Weasley wouldn't recognize him.

Trying out his new found freedom Harry turned to Mr. Weasley and asked in a timid voice. "Excuse me? Do you know where is the Department of Magical Transport is by any chance? I'm going to take my Apparation license." Arthur stopped his humming and turned to Harry. "Ho, what? Magical Transport? Right, of course! It's on level six, lad. Going to take your Apparation license? Good luck! Good luck, young man!" and with that he went back to his humming. Harry could not believe his own eyes. He was finally free. When he went out of the elevator on the correct floor he could almost fly without a broom from joy but he just smiled innocently at the unsuspecting face of one clueless Arthur Weasley.

With that Harry ducked into an empty corridor and changed his looks back to his, what he called now his "Harry Potter Persona", which basically was how he looked at the end of the last school year before all the changes this summer, and then he went to look for the Apparation Test Center. Finding it was pretty easy, as it was right at the front and there, at the front desk Harry found none other then the very gray, very boring, Apparation instructor, the same guy who had come to Hogwarts to teach him and his school mates how to Apparate.

"Hello there, Professor. My name is Harry Potter." Harry said to the man, who seemed to be deeply absorbed in his paperwork. Said man jumped when he heard the words, as if startled that someone talked to him. "I'm here to take my Apparation license." The man seemed to stare at him for a moment before reacting. "Why, yes, yes, of course. Well Apparate to this place here, Mr. Potter." He said while giving Harry a slip of paper with an address written on it. "I will Apparate there a few seconds after you to make sure you left nothing behind."

Looking for a moment on the address Harry shrugged and concentrated, he then felt the awful feeling as if every molecule in his body was being squeezed as he disappeared from the room and reappeared milliseconds later at said address. About a second later the dull instructor appeared right next to him, and after checking to see that all of Harry's body parts were present said to him with absolutely no enthusiasm at all "Congratulations, Mr. Potter you now have a license to Apparate." He then Apparated away, leaving Harry in front of the wall that was the entrance to, conveniently, Diagon Alley.

* * *

Nightfall in the Snow


	3. Diagon Alley

**In Time's Tender Care - Chapter 3**

* * *

**Genre:** adventure, romance

**Rating:** R for violence, language, probably some sex later on etc.

**WARNINGS:** This story contains SLASH which is a sexual relationship between two males, if that squicks you then get the heck out of here! This is fanfiction folks, if you want to read canon I suggest you stick to JKR. There also may be some light cursing. If this isn't your thing, you're going to want look elsewhere now.

**Synopsis:** starts at the end of book 6. Harry finds out he is not who he thought he was and takes a new path all of his own. In his journey to find himself he will learn many things about the wizarding world and have many an adventure. **ElfPrince!Harry**.

**Pairings:** HP/?

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:**

Chapter 3- 

Diagon ally was relatively bustling with activity on the morning of the 31st of July. The ally, though almost unchanged, seemed like a completely different place without the usual mob that packed the avenue most of the time. Never before was the fact that Lord Voldemort is alive more noticeable. The usually bustling street was now too quiet and the shoppers seemed scared of the possibility that the sky will fall on them if they stood too long in the same place.

Walking slowly through the crowd was a man of average height and stature with brown eyes and hair and gray looking cloths, looking in about 25 or 30 of age. In fact, the man looked so ordinary that if you had looked upon him you would have forgotten all about him the minute you turned your face elsewhere.

However, the man was not ordinary at all, and not in fact even a man but a teen. One particular, just turned seventeen, Harry Potter.

Harry was rather excited about his coming trip to the bank, although you couldn't tell by looking at him, as his face had a sealed off expression that gave nothing away. The hour was only 9:30 in the morning so he wasn't in a hurry as his appointment was half an hour later, allowing him to browse the shop's windows without having to hurry. He was having, to a certain extent, a nice time except for the occasional throb of pain in his head that refused to go away despites all of Harry's attempts to make it ebb.

Eventually the white magnificent marble of Gringotts bank was before him and with only a few moments to spare he went inside and stood patiently in one of the lines. Five minutes thereafter he was standing in front of an annoyed looking goblin that seemed bored out of his mind. Without saying a word Harry gave him the very letter that was sent to him the day before and a small, golden key.

The goblin took the letter first and raising an eyebrow at Harry's appearance told him to wait on a bench in the side where another goblin will come for him to take him to his vault. Doing as he was told, Harry waited for about two minutes when a familiar looking goblin came and stood before him eyeing him suspiciously.

"Griphook", Harry acknowledged with a half smile the small creature whose eyebrows rose in surprise at the recognition. "Mr. Potter, I presume?" he answered. At Harry's nod he turned around with a simple "Follow me". Not seeing any need answering, Harry simply followed the little goblin to the cart that will take him to his vaults.

Positioning himself inside the cart Harry tried to assemble himself as comfortably as he could while his two hands seized the sides of the cart for dear life. Without saying anything Griphook started the cart and they were on their way into the bowels of the biggest wizarding bank. At first, they both sat in silence but as the ride got longer Harry noticed that the cart was speeding down at a much more rapidly pace than usual, though the ride was more comfortable then he could remember. Wondering, Harry turned to Griphook with a quizzical face.

"Griphook? Didn't you say there is only one speed to this carts? I seem to remember them going a bit more slowly…" The goblin seemed to ignore the question for a moment and the answered simply, "To most vaults, there is."

"What do you mean to most vaults? What's so extraordinary about my vaults?" One could clearly see the surprise on young Harry's face. Griphook on the other hand, looked at Harry sharply as if trying to appraise him. "The Potter family vault, which we are now heading to, is one of the first and most safeguarded vaults in Gringotts. Therefore it is also very sensibly one of the deepest vaults in the bank. As I do not have all day to 'fool around' it is only reasonable to not waste an hour only on the cart drive."

Pondering Griphook's words on the Potter vaults Harry wondered how old the Potter name was and how far back can it be traced. If they were ones of the oldest vaults in the bank then the Potter name must be as long as the Malfoy name, maybe even older. He shrugged mentally. It meant nothing really- but it was sad to think that he has such a long, extravagant, family history and that he knows nothing of it.

Suddenly a bright flash of light caught his attention from his right side. Turning his face he expected to miss the sight just like his first time in the cart when he was certain it was a flame from a dragon's mouth. What he saw though was exactly that. The dragon was enormous in size and very unfriendly looking. Harry was so startled to see an actual dragon that it took him some time to notice that he could hear words coming out of his mouth. It was impossible but he could understand the things that the dragon was roaring.

"YOU BUMBELING FOOLSSSS! LET ME OUT OF THISSS SSSTUPID HOLE! WHERE ISSS MY MATE?"

The only way Harry could think of that he could understand this dragon was if he was talking parseltongue. But since when did dragons use the language of the snakes? This will take some consideration on his part. If all dragons spoke parseltongue this could definitely get interesting.

Harry was so resolute in his thoughts that he didn't hear Griphook talking to him. The goblin had to repeat himself twice before his word got to the distracted teen.

"… the dragons?" Griphook was looking at Harry as if expecting some answer but it being that Harry listened to nothing the goblin said he was at a loss. "I'm sorry Griphook, what were you saying? I was lost in thought there for a minute." Harry was looking apologetic at the goblin.

Griphook looked a bit exasperated but repeated himself all the same. "I was simply asking why you looked so surprised. I assumed you would have heard rumors about the fact that the bank was guarded by dragons? And off course dragons are no strangers to you…" The goblin was smirking at him as if amused.

"ah.. yea.. "Harry was uncertain as if to divulge the fact that he could understand the infuriated creature. Looking at Griphook with a contemplative air he decided that he could trust the petite individual not to run to the press with this little bit of useful information. "Well, actually I was only surprised at the things it said and not of it existence." Harry was smirking back at the now very surprised goblin.

When the only reaction the teen got was a slight widening of the goblin's eyes Harry continued. "Your lovely beast here apparently has a mate and was wondering very vocally why he was being held in this 'Hole' and what did you do with its mate."

"That's… that's n-not possible!" Harry was so amused to see the little goblin so ruffled that he couldn't help the smirk that went to his lips. Goblins were not easy to influence out of their cold exterior. He decided to put the creature out of his misery and explain the mystery to him. "It's talking in parseltongue for some reason." He said, still smiling. "Though I don't think all dragons does."

The goblin seemed a bit more ruffled for a moment and then seemed more bemused then anything while looking at Harry with a funny considering gaze. Then he seemed to gather himself into his normal dignified self. "I thank you for the explanation, though it was not what I intended. I meant that it is not possible because we do not take into service mated dragons. I, myself, was in charge of appointing this specific dragon and it was not mated when it was brought in."

"Ho. Well, either you were wrong, or it got itself a mate after I got here… where did you get it from?" Just as Harry was asking his question the cart suddenly came to a stop. Looking around him Harry noticed that they were so far down the depth of the bank that he could see the floor where the dragon was standing and could notice that there were tunnels big enough for the dragon leading to all directions. The tunnels gave the feeling that they went on and on and he wondered where and how far they were leading.

"Never mind that, we're here. Let us be done with it." Said Griphook while getting out of the cart and started walking towards one of the very dark ominous paths that were farthest from the dragon. Seeing he would not get an answer from the ruffled goblin at this time, Harry shrugged and followed the petit form into the depths of the most guarded bank in the wisarding world.

They seemed to go on for hours for Harry in the dark tunnel but were in fact only mere minutes until they reached their destination. The patch of wall the goblin paused in front of seem to be identical to the one next to her but in a closer look had a glittery look about her, like the darkness was less oppressing near it.

"Give me your hand," said the goblin and Harry obeyed without word. Griphook took out a knife from somewhere Harry couldn't decipher and cut a long line in the middle of Harry's hand. It burned like hell but Harry still said not a word. He merely gasped at the surprise. Griphook then put his bleeding hand on the stone along with his own, making the wall seem to glow even more.

Then, suddenly the wall seemed to disappear. Harry blinked and looked at his no longer burning hand and saw that it was completely healed. Smiling slightly, Harry entered the vault.

What Harry saw inside made his eyes widen in surprise. There were literally mountains of gold in every part of the big room. If Harry thought he had a lot of money the first time he came to Gringotts and entered his small private vault then it was nothing compared to the amount of gold in this one family vault. Feeling a bit over whelmed Harry looked around until he spotted a backpack on the floor near the entrance and picked it up, putting it on his back.

"This is the main family vault," Griphook said in a pensive voice. "It was the first one created and it is also the biggest one although not necessarily the fullest one. It has in it money that was entrusted in our hands with the purpose of investing it in different branches of the economy in order to increase profits and the control of the Potter family on the wisarding world. You would probably be delighted to hear that you now have in fact 51% of the shares to 'The Daily Prophet' what makes you in reality the head of the paper." Smirking, the goblin continued.

"On top of that, you may find in this vault, personal items put here by your forefathers for use of the next generations. That means you in case you did not get that. You should walk around. One of the first Potters put a very strong and complicated enchantment on all of the vaults that makes you sense if you have dire need of anything in the vaults. If you sense such a thing you should pick it up to examine later as we must go on to next vault if we wish to finish the tour today."

With that Griphook took a step back and waited patiently in the back waiting for Harry to look around the vault. Harry took his word to heart and began walking around the room, looking here and there not sensing anything until he reached the middle where a very peculiar box seemed to call to him. Harry picked it up and continued on only stopping to put it in his backpack. He picked up a few more items, among them were a few books, a folder with papers in it, a box with old newspapers, and what seemed to be a miniature library and a miniature wardrobe. Not sensing anything else Harry came back to the back where Griphook waited for him.

"I think I'm done," he said. Griphook only nodded and they walked on. The entrance to the next vault was apparently from inside this vault. On seeing Harry's questioning look the goblin continued with his lecture from before. "All the Potter vaults are interconnected by magical pathways. If you are to create a new one, it too, will be connected to all the others so that the enchantments and spells defending all of the Potter vaults will defend that one as well. Your hand please."

Harry gave him his hand and so it went on, with each vault the entrance required the shedding of blood. Griphook explained that every 150 years or so someone in his family opened another vault for special use. One of the was solely for muggle artifacts and money that was invested and made profits in the muggle world. Another was potions related and another held only furniture. One of the vaults was a huge library and another held cloths. Thousands of artifacts from eras dating back to the Middle Ages. Lastly, the last vault held nothing but money in it. In each vault, Harry walked about and picked items that called to him. Being thankful for his bottomless, featherweight backpack Harry picked up the last item that called him. It appeared to be a bottomless money bag connected to this last vault.

"It appears our tour has come to an end, and not a moment too soon, right on time for lunch." Startled Harry looked at his watch and saw that indeed the time was twelve o'clock. "Why don't we take an hour break and meet again in the bank to discuss your properties?"

And it was like that that Harry found himself in the street outside the bank blinking in the sun after a very fast cart drive. Thinking he should use the spare time for something useful and not feeling particularly hungry, Harry set foot to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.


	4. The Makings of a Friend

**In Time's Tender Care - Chapter 4**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** This is the chapter that would not END! It just didn't seem to have anywhere good to end it. So you got a cliffhanger! Sorry! Feed the author! That way you get a post faster… :P

Now to reply to some of my reviewers (OMG I have REVIEWERS! How cool is that?!) :

**Yuki****:** Yes, I know I didn't update much till now but it will get better now, as you can see. Hope you keep reading my story and enjoy it!

**Whitebuffalowmn****:** No, Harry's mate is not the dragon. Sorry! Glad you like my story!

And to the others that asked about where I am going with this story: I am really not sure. I only have a really rough draft in my head. The story is mostly writing itself.

And on that note: Enjoy! R&R ppl.

Chapter 4-

Harry did not accomplish going to Madam Malkin's in that hour since a moment after leaving the bank his head started to throb so painfully that he had to duck into a narrow alleyway nearby and almost collapsed.

Shaking and trembling Harry sat down on the floor and tried to breathe deeply and wait for the pain to pass. His disguise seemed to have disappeared because he felt his long hair almost covering his face when he put it between his legs to keep himself from expelling the contents of his stomach through his mouth. Not that there was much in there, mind.

Twenty minutes later, feelling a bit better and surprisingly hungry Harry decided to go and eat something after all, since he did not know if he will have time later on. Exiting the alleyway after changing his appearance once more, Harry went in to the nearest teashop and ordered himself some lunch.

While he was eating Harry couldn't help but wonder how his friends were doing and how they would react if he were to tell them that he was not entirely human. Hermione would be fascinated, off course. And Ron would probably have this weird look on his face for a while and then shrug and say something like: "But, you're still you, though, aren't you, mate?" And that would be it.

God, he loved his friends. Having them was almost worth not having a real blood family other than the Dursleys. Not that the Dursleys counted really.

Though, when he thought about it, he did have other family members that might be alive. The latter mentioned it. The royal elf family. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it.

On the one hand, he now had a family. That kind of made him a bit giddy inside and maybe a bit breathless. He didn't need to look into the mirror of Erised again to know that was his heart's desire for a long time. And even though he had Ron and Hermione and the Weasleys to a point he always dreamt of a large extended **ALIVE** family that was only his.

On the other hand, The Elf ROYAL Family. Like he didn't have enough on his plate. How exactly was he going to handle that while hunting for horcuxes? He had already decided that he was not going back to school for his seventh year so at least that was a relief but he still had no idea what was expected of him. He has responsibilities in the wizarding world that he cannot neglect. He will not rest until Voldemort is dead forever. He hated the idea that he will disappoint his new family, if indeed he had one, even before he had a chance to actually get to know them.

What he really needed, he decided, was more time. But, alas, time was something he did not have. The more he dawdled, the more innocent people were going to die. Harry resolved not to think about it until it became an issue. He could do nothing about it at the moment but fret and it was getting him nowhere. And with that conclusion he paid for the food that he barely tasted in his anxiety and walked back to the bank.

Griphook greeted him at the door and led him wordlessly to a small room that had nothing in it but a large fireplace.

"The first place we shall go will be the Potter ancestral castle. Most of the other properties are connected to the wards there so we will be able to declare you the hair to them from there. Then we will need to go to those that are a bit more isolated. The floo address is Potter Castle, Mr. Potter. Shall we?" Griphook held the floo pot towards Harry.

Harry took a deep breath. "Might as well," He said, took a pinch of floo and flung it into the fireplace. He then entered the swirling green flames and said as clearly as he could "Potter Castle!" And while he started to spin hazardously he thought he could see Griphook doing the same.

Harry was surprised that he did not find himself sprawled on the floor at the other side, but rather standing with grace that he could have sworn he did not have. Moving aside to leave place for Griphook to arrive he looked around him curiously.

He found himself in a rather big entrance hall that had two large double doors at each side and two wide spiraling stairways that led to a large balcony that was the entrance to the second floor. Harry noticed that there was an identical fireplace to the one that was behind him at the other side of the hall from which Griphook was stepping out of.

"Mr. Potter. If you would be so kind as to follow me." Griphook said and walked to the space of wall between the two staircases that only had a banner with the Potter family crest on it without looking to see if harry was actually following him or not. When he reached there he pulled a sharp knife and an emblem from his pocket.

Seeing that, Harry already guessed what Griphook intended and gave him his hand without the goblin having to ask for it. Doing that, Harry thought he saw a glimmer of appreciation in the other's eyes but in was gone after a second as he tried not to gasp as the knife cut into his hand again.

Griphook then dribbled some of Harry's blood on the insignia where it sizzled and disappeared, completely absorbed, and then held his hand to the stone beneath the banner while murmuring in gobbledygook. There was a blinding flash of light and Harry suddenly felt a bit like the first time he had held his wand. All warm and tingly, and he had a new awareness to the stones around him, as if he could feel the magic in them, and he could almost see the echoes of generations of Potter going through the halls.

Eyes wide with wonder Harry looked at Griphook. "I can feel all if it! Even the greenhouses!" He whispered since he could not bring his voice to be louder than that. Griphook looked at him with amusement in his eyes. "Yes, that is rather the point. You are now connected to the wards. If you were not of the Potter blood though, you would have been dead right now." He was about to say something more when there was a loud POP behind them and a house elf appeared, dressed in a clean tea towel adorned with the Potter crest on it.

"You is welcome, Master Potter!" the little creature piped and bowed, though Harry noticed it did not bow as low as Dobby did the first time he met him. "I is Gigi. I is head house elf! House elfs is a long time with no master! I is happy young master came home!" And then it smiled so wide that harry could see it only had three teeth left in its mouth.

Harry smiled back at the little elf, which he suspected was a female and very old. "It's very nice to meet you Gigi," he said. "My name is Harry. You may address me by my given name, and I'm very happy to be here too." From his periphery vision Harry could see that Griphook was a bit surprised at his words to the elf but he ignored it.

The small elf seemed to be almost vibrating from excitement. "You is very kind, Master Harry. Will Master be needing Gigi to be doing something? Shall I be telling the elfs to be readying the Master bedroom?" The diminutive creature looked at him expectantly, her eyes wide and a bit shiny.

"No, Gigi. That will not be necessary. I don't know yet where I'll be staying, though I will be informing you as soon I will decide. Is there something that I can do for you in the meantime though?" Now Griphook looked a bit incredulous. Gigi on the other hand looked ecstatic. Her head was bobbing up and down in a slight resemblances to a muggle dashboard puppet. "Off course, Master Harry. Everything you is saying! I is not be needing anything, thank you!" And with a big smile she popped out of the hall.

Turning back to Griphook Harry smiled. "Now what do we do?"

Opening his mouth to answer, and then closing it, Griphook cleared his throat several times before he replied. "Now we shall floo to the three properties that are only accessible from here and link the wards there. After that you only need to sign some documents back at the bank and our business will be concluded."

"Very well." Harry just looked at Griphook, a bit confused with his reaction, and waited for him to tell him where they were flooing to. Griphook stared at Harry for a moment and then seemed to shake himself. "Let us go then." Said the goblin and walked to the nearest fireplace. Then, after pulling a floo pot from somewhere Harry couldn't see turned to face Harry sharply. "Are you always in the habit of informing your slaves on you comings and goings and going as far as to ask what _you _can do for _them_?"

"Well, they'd be worried otherwise, wouldn't they?" Harry looked confused again. "And I can't help them being my slaves. I would have set them all free if I didn't know most of them would not react favorably to that. I could pay them off course, god knows I've got enough money, but they'll probably refuse to take it. The least I can do is to treat them with the respect they deserve, don't you think?" He looked harshly at the goblin, as if daring him to proclaim otherwise.

Griphook only looked thoughtful. "Indeed." He said, and after one last calculative glance he presented the floo pot to Harry. "We will be flooing to Blackwater Hall. It's in Scotland, not very far from Hogsmead, as a matter of fact. You will have to floo first as I will not be able to access it otherwise."

Harry just shrugged and took some floo powder. Throwing it in to the fire, he entered the fireplace and after calling out loudly "Blackwater Hall!" disappeared in a twirl of smoke. When he came out of the hearth on the other side he could barely see it was so dark. Stepping aside Harry took out his wand and lighted it with a quick "Lomus!" so that he could have a look around.

It appeared that Blackwater Hall had a floo chamber because Harry did not see anything in the small room beside the walls and the door that was closed. Harry walked towards the door as he heard Griphook arriving behind him and tried to open it. As he had suspected, it remained unresponsive. "Let me guess. It wants my blood," said Harry warily as he turned to face the goblin.

Griphook bared his teeth at him, though Harry suspected it might be the goblin's version of a smile. "Correct- though with this property it might not even be enough. This is one of the buildings that have been around for so long that it has developed into a sentient being. A bit like Hogwarts you could say. It will only open for you if it deems you worthy."

"Hmmm. Lovely." Harry muttered softly. "Well, let us get on with it. Time is money, and all that rot. No offence..!" Harry quickly added when he suddenly realized who he was talking to.

"None taken." Griphook upper lip was twitching a bit, and though it was hard to tell, Harry reckoned he might have been trying not to laugh. He then seemed to collect himself and unsheathed his knife again, and another emblem. The symbol on the emblem seemed a bit familiar to him but he couldn't place it so he just dismissed it for now and gave the goblin his hand.

Griphook cut into his hand and then placed Harry's hand on the door. The bloody handprint seemed to glow for a moment and Harry felt something probing him mentally before there was a flash of bright light and the door gave way.

"I guess that means she likes me?" Harry grinned and walked through the door right into a breathtaking beautiful garden. "Oh, wow! I think I like you too!" Harry marveled at the thought that all that was his. He could see a gazebo surrounded by a bit of lovely wilderness patch that he could imagine sitting in with friends and family at summer time, and a slightly overrun path around the manor house that had rose bushes along the way. And the manor house itself seemed to be made of some kind of dark glass, and suddenly Harry realized how it got its name.

"SHE, Mr. Potter?" He heard Griphook asking from behind him. "Definitely feels like a she. Don't ask me how I know." Replied Harry while still preoccupied, his eyes ravening the exquisite sights before him. Even the air around him felt to him as if inviting him to stay, leaving tingling affects on his fingertips and toes. "Is there something else we need to do here Griphook, or are we done? Because if we stay here much longer I don't think I'll fancy leaving anytime soon."

A rowdy startling bark from the goblin caused Harry to detach his eyes from the scenery at last. "I'm starting to like you against my better judgment Mr. Potter. We're done here as it seems the wars have definitely accepted you. We should move on for, as you so eloquently mentioned earlier, Time indeed equals money. That is why, as it were, and though not many know of it, Gringotts works around the clock." And with that the still chuckling goblin turned back to the floo room as Harry dubbed it in his mind. "Well, come along then. We shall now floo back to Potter Castle. From there, to The Grey Tower to connect the wards and then we will only have Godric's Hollow left." And he swirled away through the floo.

Harry couldn't help but smile as he followed him back to Potter Castle and from there to the Grey Tower which was apparently in New York. The flooing to there seemed to Harry to take three times as longer as all the previous times put together and he was so dizzy that if you asked him to describe how it looked he would have drawn a blank. The floo back seemed to take even longer though that was perhaps because by that time Harry was quite tired and nauseous and his head started throbbing again.

Directly on landing Harry sank to the floor and put his head on his knees concentrating very hard on keeping himself looking like the Harry Potter Griphook expected him to look like and not his elfish counterpart. When he got control of himself again Harry lifted his head to face Griphook who did not say anything while Harry recovered and while Harry saw a flicker of something like concern in his eyes in was rapidly gone. Harry assumed the goblin thought he just reacted badly to the floo journey.

"I am OK Griphook. Though maybe a couple of minute's rest and something to drink sounds very good right now." And now that Harry looked at Griphook he seemed a bit grey himself, although goblins tend to the grey from the first start. "Something to drink will not go remiss Mr. Potter. I am a bit out of sorts myself."

"Right. Umm. Gigi!" Harry called, and almost sooner than he finished calling her name did she appear before him with a POP. "Is master to be needing something from Gigi, Master Harry, sir?" The little thing was holding the bottom of her dishtowel and twisting it. "Yes Gigi, thank you. Would it be possible to get something to drink please?" Harry asked tiredly.

"Oh, yes Master! What will you be wanting drinking? You must go to the parlor and Gigi will take care of everything!" Harry smiled at the house elf's enthusiasm. "Do you happen to have butterbeer, by any chance?" Harry asked hopefully. Then he turned to the goblin beside him. "What would you like to drink Griphook?"

"Well, some firewhisky sounds wonderful Mr. Potter, but tea would suffice if the whisky is too much trouble." he replied. Harry just turned to the house elf. "Do you have some firewhisky for my guest here?" When Gigi just nodded her head so fast her ears were flapping and popped away Harry turned to his left and opened the double doors that indeed led to a big comfortable looking parlor that looked like it had just been cleaned.

"Come, Griphook, let's relax for a few moments. And you should call me Harry. Enough with that Mr. Potter nonsense. You make me feel like I'm back at school." Harry went and sat on one of the comfy sofas and inclined to the goblin to do the same. Griphook looked at him, his head skewed for a second, and then went and sat himself. "Thank you, Harry. Not many wizards will consider honoring a gobling thus." He said, making Harry's cheeks to burn a bit and his eyes harden. "Well, most wizards are big headed pillocks then." Harry replied stridently.

Then Gigi arrived with a huge tray that not only had butterbeer and firewhisky on it but also a pot of tea, glasses and an assortment of refreshments. Harry sighed in defeat. House elves. He just smiled and went for the butterbeer. "Thank you, Gigi. That will be all for now." He poured a glass for the goblin and handed it to him. "Cookie?" While gesturing to the plate.

Griphook took a chocolate one, and for a while none of them said anything, just sitting together companionably and eating and drinking. Then the goblin put down the empty glass. "That was quite pleasant, Harry, Thank you, but we must move on. It has become late, and we must finish with the wards." Harry simply nodded and got up. Without needing to ask Gigi appeared and started clearing the table. "Thank you, Gigi." He said and they walked back to the floo.

Harry hesitated when they reached the fire place. He had just realized that their next stop would be Godric's Hollow, the house in which his parents died in, murdered by a megalomaniac. Griphook must have sensed his discomfort for he paused as well. "The wards in Godric's Hollow are a bit less- private, shall we say? I do not know if you are aware but it has become a bit of a tourist attraction for wizards and witches all around the world. You could change them but that might just cause them to draw even more attention. Also, we cannot stay long as we were supposed to be back at the bank already."

"Yea, Ok." Harry said softly, cleared his suddenly dry throat and resolved to do it a quick as he can and come back at a later time when he was alone so he could explore a bit. They then flooed right into the little cottage's living room, repeated the process with the knife, blood and all (Harry noticed that the line where the knife cut into his hand didn't heal completely, leaving a thin white scar in the middle of his palm), and then flooed directly to the bank where Griphook led him to one of the back offices that Harry wasn't even aware existed.

In Griphook's office they sat down and the goblin started collecting a large pile of papers for Harry to sign. "I didn't realize you had an office, Griphook. Did you have one back then when I first met you or is that a new development?" Said Harry, trying to make polite conversation to offset the awkward silence that fell on them after their floo to Harry's dead parent's old house.

Griphook snorted and looked at him and Harry could see that Griphook knew what he was trying to do. Harry just smiled at him innocently, but was still relived when the goblin let it slide. "It's a new- development." Griphook seemed amused by his choice of words. "I actually got- shall we say promoted? - To an office when my job's description called for one. That is to say- yesterday." His eyes glittered with challenge at Harry.

That just made Harry's mildly strained smile to become more genuine. "What, when I came to age, you mean? Congratulations! At least you got something good out of it! I didn't suppose it will bring you anything else but more work. Wait, didn't you say you manage all my accounts and investments or something? Does the bank pay you or do you get your- err- paycheck? - salary? From my vaults? How does it work with account managers, anyway?" Harry was suddenly curious.

Griphook just looked at him for a moment with amusement while putting a stack of papers in front of him on the desk. "I'm hopeless, aren't I?" Harry said bashfully when he didn't get an answer after a while. Griphook snorted again and gave him a quill. "I get my salary from the bank, though it is not unheard of for account managers to receive a percentage or two from the profits of said accounts for good management. It is off course the owner's choice to decide on such things. Now, this stack here says that you've been to all your family vaults. You will need to sign on each one separately."

Harry blinked. Then he sighed. And then started signing without reading any of it. "Well, how about I give you five percent of all future profits you make me from now on? We'll talk about it again in a few years to see about making it any higher than that, when I'll know better what kind of sums we're talking about here." Harry said absently while trying to sign as fast as he could even though his hand started hurting a bit. When he didn't get any reaction until the stack was done with he lifted his eyes back to the goblin only to see him staring at him with his eyes very wide and mouth agape, opening and closing sporadically but no word coming out of it, looking shell-shocked.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Griphook appeared to have found his voice at last. "Did you not just hear me said that I do get a salary, and even those of us that do get percentage do not get more than two percent at the most?! Do you have no idea to the worth of money to just give it away in this manner?!" Now the little creature just looked outraged. "And to have a discussion on making it higher! Like five isn't more than half what any other owner will give to their manager?!" Griphook was now breathing a bit heavily.

Harry was a bit startled by the initial outburst but then, the more the goblin said the more amused Harry became. "Griphook, are you actually arguing with me that I should give you _less_ money? I thought that goblins had more self worth than house elves. I actually even heard you guys described as fierce hagglers even to go as far as to cheat someone of their money- though I didn't believe that last part." Harry was staring piercingly at the still aggravated goblin before him. "Do you _want_ me to treat you like dirt?"

"Did you even read what you were signing just now?" Griphook cried out. "I could have written there that you are now my slave and that you need to give me all your money! Or worse!"

Harry didn't need to ask what worse was. He could imagine a few things just fine. "Did you?" He just asked calmly.

"No." The goblin replied with a scowl. "But that-"

"So, there you are. Everything's fine. I trust you, I hope you trust me. We can get on with it. We're wasting time. Do I need to sign anything else? And you need to write down our agreement about you getting five percent of the profits from now on, so that I can sign that too." Harry folded his hands on his chest defiantly and waited for Griphook to do just that.

"I- you really mean that. You trust me. I- All right." The goblin whispered softly, the wind apparently gone from his sails. He simply presented Harry with another stack of papers to sign, and draw a fresh sheaf of parchments from a drawer in his desk. "This next stack is a document for every house that you own. Each one that you sign makes you the legal owner of that property and in legal right to do with it as you wish- making you the sole heir to the entire Potter fortune." Griphook said timidly and Harry started to be afraid that he might have broken the poor thing. It isn't every day that one shocks a gobbling out of their bad temper. Griphook just started writing what Harry figured was the profits agreement.

Harry looked at Griphook for a few more moments and wondered to himself if he had just made a friend out of the fierce creature. He supposed goblins were just not used to being trusted, and shrugging it off, he started signing the next stack of papers. He didn't want to assume anything and insult the other by accident.

When he finished signing every last one of them he shook his hand in the air, trying to rid it of the cramps, and noticed Griphook staring at him unwaveringly. "What is it, Griphook? Do I have something on my face?" Harry asked warily and took his glasses off to clean them on his shirt in a nervous habit. The goblin did not say anything as he handed Harry the last document to sign. Harry moved his eyes on it to make sure that the goblin wrote down the correct percent of the profits and then singed it too. "All done!" Harry couldn't help but smile in relief and sag in his very uncomfortable chair.

"You are an enigma, Mr. Potter." The goblin started saying something more when Harry cut him off. "Now, didn't we agree to stop with that Mr. Potter shit? I told you to call me Harry. All my friends do."

"This is exactly what I mean, Harry. I am a hundred and eight years old and even though that is relatively young in goblin years I am very good at spotting lies. You mean that. In all my years I did not see even one witch or wizard say that to me or another goblin and actually mean that. You think of me as your friend." Harry felt as if Griphook's eyes were trying to stare into his soul. "Shouldn't I? I didn't mean to offend you. I'll try not to blurt anything that comes to my mind immediately. I'm always told that I wear my heart on my sleeve. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Harry said to him, hoping he didn't succeed in doing exactly what he tried to avoid.

Griphook sighed in exasperation. "Never mind." He mumbled as if to himself. "You did not offend me, I assure you, Harry. I will in fact be honored to be considered your friend." He then seemed to take a deep breath as if preparing for a blow. "Though perhaps you will wish to rethink your friendship after what I will have to say to you."

TBC


	5. Old Enemies & New Friends Part 1

**In Time's Tender Care - Chapter 5**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** And- here's another one. Now do you guys prefer to wait longer but get longer chapters like the last one or would you rather get shorter chapters but more often? And on that note- if I finished a chapter fast should I upload it directly or save it so that my posts will be semi regular? Tell me if you have any preference.

R&R ppl

Chapter 5-

From last chapter:

_"You did not offend me, I assure you, Harry. I will in fact be honored to be considered your friend." Griphook then seemed to take a deep breath as if preparing for a blow. "Though perhaps you will wish to rethink your friendship after what I will have to say to you."_

Harry looked at Griphook with a sense dread. "What you have to say to me?" He asked flatly.

"Yes." Griphook paused to clear his throat and then swallowed. "I do not suppose you are aware of it but we goblins know of a lot of secrets in the wizarding world. As the only wizarding bank in Great Britain we have access to every secret worth knowing, in fact. That is how I know, for example, that you are indeed the chosen one, because of a prophecy made before you were born by one Sybill Trelawney. That has also made us very aware that He Who Must Not Be Named will be **very- **and I do mean very**- **hard to get rid of. That is why, when he came to us and promised us protection and equal rights last month in exchange for our curse breakers placing a very powerful taboo on his name we did not refuse even though we knew he was most probably not going make do on his promise." Griphook now sounded defeated. His head hang low and he wasn't looking at Harry. "I now realize that we might have made a grave mistake by allying ourselves with him. I realize that you knowing this will make me lose your friendship and for that I am truly sorry. If you wish to leave at once our business is in fact already concluded."

"Hold on. Sit down!" Harry said sharply when the gobling tried to get up and escort him to the door causing the other to pause in his spot. "What do you mean taboo?"

"There is a reason people are afraid to say Vo- You Know Who's name, Mr. Po-"

"Harry."

"Harry." Griphook paused for a moment, sat back down, and looked at Harry hopefully. "The last war- every time someone said his name- his followers would show up and kill anyone who dared defy him- anyone who was not afraid to say his name. And now, because of us, it's going to start again."

"Oh, relax, Griphook! I'm glad you told me. That's what friends do- they tell each other stuff. Now I know to just call him Tom, or Riddle, and be done with it. It's not the end of the world. I don't expect you to die for me! There's enough death going around as it is."

"You are more admirable than I have ever dreamed any wizard can be." Griphook looked at Harry with such respect that it made his cheeks warm a bit. "Thanks. I think." He mumbled.

"As for him being hard to kill- I know. I'm working on it. Might need a bit of your help later on." Harry added as an afterthought, thinking about Helga Hufflepuff's cup, sitting in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault deep down under where they were both currently sitting. But- not today- it wouldn't do to tip them off too soon. "But it will take a while- and I need to do it quietly. I want as few people as possible to die in the meantime. I know better than to hope for no casualties at all." He said grimly.

"Anyway, thank you for telling me. It will make my life a bit easier I think. Merlin Knows it's hard enough as it is." Harry continued when his head pulsed in a painful rhythm that made him shut his eyes and when he reopened them the left one seemed to want to stay shut. In addition to that, his bones started aching a bit. Like he hadn't slept in a week. Griphook must have noticed his exhaustion for he looked concerned again. "Are you quite alright, Harry? You seem to be feeling very ill today. Do you have need of a healer?"

"No, I'll be fine, Griphook, I know what it is. It will pass till tomorrow. Although, on that note, I need to be going. Is there anything else that needs my immediate attention?" As he said that Harry saw Griphook's eyes turn calculating and he wondered to himself if he might be able to guess something about the cause to Harry's headaches just from this little comment and resolved to be more careful about was he said from now on.

"There is none. Though maybe we should work together a better way of communicating that is not owls. I'm afraid that is no longer a safe option." The goblin was already standing and walking to a side cabinet and opening one of the drawers. "I have in my possession a two way mirror which looks commonplace and might do. It is simple, but affective." He pulled a package wrapped in brown paper and unwrapped it, giving Harry one of the mirrors and keeping the other to himself.

Harry swallowed the lamp in his throat. "Yea, I know how they work." He choked out; thinking about the mirror that Sirius gave him that was hidden, broken, in the bottom of his trunk. "Just call out your name, Right?" He took the mirror and shoved it into his recently acquired backpack.

"Yes, you are correct."

"Well then, I got to go." Harry got up from his chair, and looked at his wristwatch. The time was almost six. Harry was not sure when the royal guard was supposed to come for him but he would rather it not be in the bank. He didn't want to attract attention to himself in any way. "If you need anything from me, Griphook, do not hesitate to call. And thank you. Truly." Harry extended his hand to the other to shake. "I really appreciate your warning about the taboo. I'll make sure to pass it on to the ones that count."

Griphook shook his hand firmly. "Good luck, Harry." And there was no need to say more.

It took Harry another half hour to get back to the Dursleys' house because he had to stop and rest again before he could apparate. The pain was starting to reach a point where he could not stand. When he got there he opened the door with a spell and sneaked back to his room where he collapsed on the bed and was lost to the world.

He woke up to voices talking around him.

"Should we wake him?"

"No, let him sleep. The first day is always hard. He'll wake up soon."

"It's going to be midnight soon."

"The young always lack patience."

A scoff. "I'm not that young. You're just _old._"

"Then you should have more respect for your elders."

Harry groaned and sat down on his bed. "I'm up. I'm up."

When he opened his eyes he was confronted with three tall graceful elves in flowing pale robes and long silken hair. All three of them were staring at him silently.

"Well?" Harry snapped and combed his hand though his hair that was now as long and as silken as the other three in the room. His head still ached a bit and he was nervous as hell and their staring was only making if worst.

"I apologize for staring, young one. Your resemblance to prince Roglan is very uncanny. You look practically the same except for the hair. His is very light in color, and yours very dark." The one harry assumed was the oldest of them, though it was hard to tell, said to him.

"And you are?" Harry asked.

"I am Sorshun. These are Tymor and Varmina." He indicated and Harry suddenly noticed one of them was a female. "We are the commanders of the royal guard."

"Yes, well. How can I help you three?" He asked politely even though he knew why they came. And he needed to go with them, at least for a while. There was no going around that, he needed to learn what being an elf meant or he'd get in trouble.

"You are Harry Potter, the son of Princess Lily. We thought you were lost to us forever. You must allow us to bring you to the realm, to your family. They are very anxious to meet you." This time it was the girl, Varmina, that explained. Harry suspected that she was the youngest of them all because they both turned to scowl at her when she said that, and she was talking very fast, as if excited to get it all out.

"You are indeed a member of the royal family. As the royal guard, we are here to escort you back home." Sorshun looked very determined. Harry wondered if he expected to be met with much resistance and then the thought came to him that Sorshun must have be old enough to be the one that came for his mother. The thought was so wonderful and enlightening that it made him warm from the inside.

He entertained for a moment the notion of telling them that he can't come just to see their reaction but figured it was too cruel a prank on the first day. "Right. How do I know you really are who you say you are, and you're not just here to kill me?" Harry knew they weren't- there were still wards on Privet Drive as long as he still lived there, and besides- how many elves do you see nowadays? Very unlikely that they would suddenly pop out of hiding just to kill him, but it didn't hurt to be extra careful. Better safe than sorry and all that.

To Harry's puzzlement Sorshun was more amused than insulted. "Well, there is the matter of the royal family birthmark that all four of us bear but I suppose that it can be faked if you are well enough informed. I reckon you'll just have to trust us." He finished with a slight bow of his head. He sounded infinitely patient and relaxed and even though Harry suspected he was only humoring him, he did not come off as condescending.

"What family birthmark? I don't have any birthmarks." Harry replied absently while examining the older elf with careful attention. All three of them were very tall and graceful but Sorshun was- the only word Harry could find appropriate was- ethereal. He looked to be in his late forties, had broad shoulders, light honey eyes that were almost gold in color and hair that was astonishingly silver. The result was quite striking.

"Off course you would not know about it as you know not your own people's history. It should have only appeared on your left shoulder today, the day of your coming to age." That remark came from Tymor that until now said nothing. Harry could not be sure as the remark was purposely mild but he thought he could detect a sliver of censure in his voice, as if he did not approve of Harry, and by the fleeting stern look Sorshun gave his comrade he suspected he might be right.

Deciding not to go looking for difficulties Harry ignored the undertone of the answer and stood up from his bed to check the validity of it. He took off his shirt and walked to his closet mirror, throwing the shirt on the bed as he went. He made note that the two younger elves blushed a little at this. Standing with his back to the mirror, his head turned backwards and to the left in a very feline gesture Harry saw that he did indeed have a birthmark on his left shoulder, though it looked more like a tattoo than a birthmark. It portrayed a delicate miniature gryphon with its wings spread.

Sorshun came and stood before him and met his eyes in the mirror. "It is said to illustrate the inner animal of the elves in the royal family. The marks that the royal guard bears were given to us in a special ritual when we were chosen for the guard." He was about to say something more when a movement from the youngest elf caught his attention. "It is time." She said simply. Hearing that, Sorshun put a soft hand on Harry's shoulder. "Come, Harry, pack your bags. We should be going." And as he said that he looked into Harry's eyes.

Harry was very aware of the other elf standing very close to him, his hand very warm on his shoulders. Sorshun Somehow managed to express with his eyes the fact that he knew Harry has already decided to come with them. Harry felt a very strong connection with the other. As if they knew each other some other time. And although the other elf was very handsome and Harry was a bit embarrassed to find himself a bit attracted to him, the connection was more brotherly in nature. It felt like Ron giving him a hug, only less awkward.

Harry simply nodded his head and went to the bedside table to get his wand. "Pack!" He pointed at his school trunk and his books packed themselves there. Before closing it he wrote a quick note and left in on the nightstand in case anyone should come looking for him. His broom and cloak were already in his bag so that only left Hedwig's cage and his photo album. He didn't plan on taking any of Dudley's old clothes. Picking the album from underneath the loose floorboard and putting it in his bag along with his shrunken trunk, Harry was ready to go. He put his bag on his shoulders after putting back his shirt and just looked at Sorshun expectantly.

Sorshun was looking at him with a small smile on his face. When he saw that Harry was ready he walked to him and offered his hand. Harry took it gratefully. It somehow made him feel safer. "Are you ready?" He asked gently, and when Harry just nodded his head yes they disappeared together from the room and the other two were swift to follow after them. Harry left the Dursleys for the last time without a second glance. It was the end of an era.

Ten minutes after the four elves were gone, the doorbell ringed.

A moment later, it ringed again.

A few moments later, when there was no answer, the door seemed to open on itself.

A rather large company of people entered the house, and on finding no one there discovered Harry's hastily scribbled note.

_Hi guys,_

_Went on a little vacation. Can't tell you where. I'll be ok. In case you need to verify it's me tell Ron that I said he made a very bad Crabbe. Sorry for worrying you._

_Respectfully,_

_Harry_


	6. NOT according to plans

**In Time's Tender Care - Chapter 6**

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**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** This chapter gave me a world of trouble. We are now getting to the interesting part of the story! On the other hand it might be awhile before I post the next chapter- I am having a busy time at Uni. Any way; Enjoy!

R&R ppl.

Chapter 6-

**_Somewhere in the vicinity of Ottery St. Catchpole_**

"What I want to know is what the BLOODY HELL does he think he's doing!" Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody was annoyed. He hated it when things did not go according to plan and last night was not even close to the plan he had in mind. They, the order that is, were all sitting in the Weasleys kitchen discussing the happenings of the night before when thirteen if them went to privet drive to pick up one Harry Potter, only to find him NOT THERE. And he left a bleeding note too! The little brat!

"Relax, Moody. Do we actually know that the note was written by him and that he hasn't been kidnapped?" It was Remus that replied, trying to be the voice of reason. They were all tired and worried but the brat's friends seemed to Moody's eyes more edgy than the others. Moody's magical eye swiveled to stare at the youngest Weasley boy who confirmed that the note was authentic. "Well, do we boy? Talk! How do you know it's really him?" The old auror snapped at him.

"Oh, it's him alright. That comment refers to something only Hermoine, Harry and I know of. What I don't get is why would he go without us? We promised to stay together!" Ron's voice sounded defeated, like the entire weight of the world was on his shoulders. Moody noted that the boy did not look betrayed, like he had expected something like that to happen. "And he went out of his own free will too! He wouldn't have written that comment otherwise." Moody could practically see the wheels in the boy's mind working to find an explanation to Potter's behavior that none of them thought about yet.

Alastor's good eye twitched in irritation. "What are you not telling us, boy? What did that comment refer too?" He was mildly surprised that the boy blushed. "Ummm. Well. Ah-" He mumbled something incoherent under his breath. "What was that? We didn't quite catch that." Moody was not going to make his life any easier. He was annoyed and someone was bloody well going to take the brunt of his fury.

Ron's face hardened and he straitened his shoulders in defiance. "Hermione brewed Polyjuice when we were in second year. Harry and I impersonated Crabbe and Goyle so that we could draw information out of Malfoy." Hus cheeks were still a bit pink but his stare did not waver.

Moody was impressed despite himself. His magical eye turned to look at the Granger girl. For second years to pull something like this without anyone being the wiser and not tell anyone about it was bloody hard for young Gryffindors. And that potion was only taught in sixth year's potions. Of course it wouldn't do to let the kids know he was impressed; to let it get to their heads that they were naturally good in those kinds of things. Confident soldiers were dead soldiers. You should always be on your toes. Constant vigilance! That was how Alastor Moody lived and that was the only reason that he was alive. People said he was paranoid, but is it actually paranoia if someone is really out to get you?

So Moody put a scowl on his face and carried on like he heard about second years doing that kind of shit every day. He rather thought that this wasn't the only thing the boy was hiding. "What else are you kids not telling us? I know that look very well. You knew he was going to pull something like that!" But even as he said that Alastor knew he wasn't going to get anything more from either of them. If possible Ron's face hardened even more, and he and the chit were holding hands under the table. "That's none of your business. We'll just have to trust him to come back. He knows Bill's wedding is in a week. He'll be here. Harry can take care of himself."

Moody just gave a gruff 'Hrmmf' and folded his hands on his chest. His right eye was turning in its socket all over the place to unnerve the others but he did not push the matter. Alastor knew to pick his battles and that one was not one he could win. Lupin, the soft fool, was looking at them in wistful nostalgia. Like reminiscing on the past can bring it back. Thinking like that could get you killed.

"We should have come for him four days ago like we planed originally. Then none of this would have happened and he would have been safe and sound and here as he should be!" Molly sniffed from across the table. She had a handkerchief in her hand and was dubbing her eyes in it. "There, there, darling, I'm sure he'll be fine." Her husband tried to comfort her even though everyone in the room knew it was hopeless. Merlin knew Molly Weasley could be very formidable when she needed to be but Moody knew to stay away from her when she was in this over-sentimental frame of mind. Instead of replying she got up and made herself busy with making tea for everyone.

"This is getting us nowhere. We couldn't have come for him four days ago, someone tipped off the Death Eaters. The house was being watched, for fu- err- Merlin's sake. Does anyone know where he could have gone to?" That was the elder Weasley boy, William, or Bill as everyone called him. Moody liked calling him by his full name just to see him flinch. Apparently his mother called him that when she was angry. Alastor thought it was hilarious to see that even though the boy was already in his late twenties he was still afraid to curse in front of his mother. Not that he blamed him, mind you.

No one had an idea off course. Even the brat's friends looked at a loss. Then the young muggle-born looked hesitated. "He did say something about wanting to go and visit his parent's graves in Godric's Hollow, but I don't think he would have gone without us. We promised him we would go there together after Bill and Fleur's wedding." She was biting her lower lip in worry. The other boy was scowling at her in anger but his shoulders slumped when she looked at him. Alastor snorted; they could already talk with their eyes. And it also looked like, unsurprisingly, the girl was wearing the pants in that relationship.

"It's worth checking, though I'd dare say that if he was there we either would have heard about it or he is long gone. We should send someone there after the meeting." That came from McGonagall. A sensible woman if there ever was one. Moody thought to himself that if he wasn't otherwise inclined he would have married a woman just like her. As it was, the entirety of his romantic endeavors were made out of buggering nameless, faceless men in muggle brothels because he didn't trust anyone in the wizarding world not to try and kill him while he's exposed. And lately even that did not seem to be worth the trouble.

"What about the Dursleys? Did the make it to the safe house ok?" Fred asked while looking at his twin. They looked very shifty to Alastor; like they were planning something. Molly obviously thought like him because she was glaring daggers at them. "You better have not left any of your stupid pranks there! We have enough trouble with those people as it is!" The twins were doing their best to seem innocent but they didn't quite manage.

"They have been transferred to a safe house last night not long after we arrived there. Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle are setting them up as we speak, and are staying there as guards." That came from Kingsley, who was sitting calmly with his arm on his chest. Nothing fazed that man. Alastor wished he know his secret since he knew for a fact that the other auror was no foolish pushover.

At that moment Tonks burst into the kitchen followed by the youngest Weasley who tried to sneak into the meeting behind her but was deterred by her mother's fiery glare. Moody was not surprised when she almost tripped over a chair on the way in but only rolled his eyes, used to his young protégé by now.

"Harry has been seen in the ministry yesterday!"

An uproar came to pass after that and for a few minutes nothing was heard over the various cries and hollers from different people who all wanted to be the first to be answered their assorted questions. Well, Alastor knew how to shout the loudest.

"SILENCE!"

After they all sat back down Moody just looked at Nymphadora with a look she knew very well. "Explain." And there was no need to say more between them. As he sat back down to listen Alastor thought sadly to himself that Tonks was the closest he would ever get to having a daughter.

"He apparently went there to take his Apprition license. The old fool there is so senile that he did not see it fit to tell anyone and only just now filed the paperwork. No one saw Harry get in or out though the phone booth did register him coming in and the old man made him Apparate to Diagon alley where all traces of him disappeared. I assume he Apparated from there back to four Privet Drive because that would be the only way it could not be traced. I did some undercover snooping and it appears that Death Eaters did go to Privet Drive but found it empty and assume they missed him leaving. Someone is going to be severely punished by their precious Lord."

Tonks then sat down and breathed for awhile after saying all that very fast. Moody silently handed her a glass of water and she looked at him gratefully.

"Does 'dat mean he's still alive?" Hagrid's bellow was very hard to mistake. He was looking at Tonks like she held the moon and stars.

"Oh, it's safe to assume that Potter is very much alive; we would definitely have heard about it if he were dead. How that improbable occurrence happened can only be put down to sheer dumb luck." That brat must have someone that really loves him up there that watched over him, otherwise Moody did not know how he kept pulling those mind-boggling stunts out of his ass.

"The real questions are where did 'e go to, 'ow did he do it without gettin' killed and why we cannot find him?"

Even Moody could not answer the blonde part-veela to those questions.

_hp~hp~hp_

_hp~hp~hp~hp_

_hp~hp~hp_

As it happened, at the very moment, Harry was waking up in a very soft and comfortable bed, startled when he did not recognize where he was until he remembered the events of the previous night.

It took Sorshun and him a few minutes from the moment they disappeared from Harry's bedroom until they reached their destination. During that time as he felt Sorshun holding him securely in his arms Harry wondered to himself if the way elves traveled was slower than wizard's apparation or if it was that they were traveling somewhere really far away. While he was mulling about that the swirling colors around him became a solid mass.

They landed in front of two very large castle double doors that had guards standing on both sides. When the guards saw Sorshun they immediately stood to attention. A second later Tymor and Varmina arrived as well and all four of them entered the castle together.

As they were walking silently though the halls, Sorshun leading him firmly with a hand on the small of his back, Harry was starting to become really nervous. Who was it he was going to meet? Grandparents? Cousins? Uncles? Sorshun mentioned someone named prince Roglan. What would they think of him? What would they say when he told them that he cannot stay more than a day or two? Would he lose this new family forever before he even properly got to know them?

Sorshun felt his step falter and stopped as well. When the other two turned to look at them the older elf waved his hand gracefully at them. "Tymor, Varmina, you may retire for the night. I will accompany Harry to the king to inform him of our safely arriving and then we will both go to sleep as well. Any other matter will wait for the morning. We are all exhausted. It has been a very long day. We shall all meet tomorrow morning afresh."

The other two royal guards looked like they were going to say no, but then thought about it again when they saw the hard expression on Sorshun face. They then just bowed their heads softly and glided gracefully in the other direction.

"Thank you, Sorshun." Harry said quietly while looking at the other gratefully. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. He couldn't be introduced to the king in this state. They did not need more reasons to dislike him than they already did. 'Oh, god, I'm a wreck. What am I going to do? I don't even know who I am anymore.' Harry was at the verge of a full blown panic attack.

"Relax, little one. Breath." The older elf was rubbing his arms up and down and Harry could feel warmth creep back into his bones. He was not aware that he was cold. "What is it that you are afraid of, child?"

Harry stared into Sorshun's deep, kind, golden eyes and he could feel himself relaxing a tad. He opened his mouth to explain his terror but could not find the words so he just shook his head and took another deep breath. "I am alright, Surshun. Let's get it over with." Like pulling off a band aid; better to do it fast. The sooner they tell him to go to hell, the sooner he could go back to hunting hurxruces and try and kill that murdering son of a bitch. Or die trying.

Surshun were looking at him with a confused look but he did not comment on Harry's choice of words. They then continued on their way until they reached two large doors with a guard sitting outside of them. As soon as he saw them the guard knocked on the door three times. there was a reply; 'Enter'. And the guard entered the room. "Sorshun, of the royal guard, here to see you my king," he announced. And then they were in.

The room Harry and Sorshun entered wad not, as Harry assumed, a throne room, but what appeared to be the king and queen's privet chambers. There was a large, comfortable, sitting area with wide sofas and a small table with refreshments on it. The room was round and there was more than one door leading to other rooms in it and Harry even saw a staircase which he figured lead to the sleeping area.

On one of the sofas were sitting, next to each other, were unquestionably the king and queen. While Harry stayed by the door and tried to distract himself with examining the room, Sorshun walked straight to them and bowed deeply. "Your Highness; may I introduce- Harry James Potter," he said and then stood back silently.

Harry was staring, his eyes wide as a deer caught in the highlights. The king and queen were dressed casually in long flowing robes that looked to be of excellent quality in light blue and green. They both had very long hair that was pure white; so white that it almost hurt the eyes. When the kink lifted his eyes to look at Sorshun Harry saw that his eyes were a familiar glowing green and his heart skipped a beat.

"Thank you, Sorshun, for bringing back my grandson to me. I am once again in your debt." The king said while he stood up, walked towards Harry and stood before him. "Welcome." He said and then held him in his arms so tenderly that Harry could do nothing more than hold on tightly as if his life were depending on it.

In that moment, nothing else mattered than the fact that he had family, here, right here, which loved him and wished him well. The fact that Voldemort was out there did not matter, the fact that there was a war going on, and the fact that this very family might reject him when they found out that he had to leave them ,and might not return, none of that mattered.

And then his grandfather drew away and Harry's sight swiveled. The room seemed to be spinning around him and Sorshun and the king's voice seemed to be coming from very far away. It was too much for his new acquired body to take, apparently. Harry held his hand to the wall to remain standing.

"… alright?"

"Poor thing… … exhausted..."

"…to bed..."

"…care of him?"

"…with my life."

And then someone was lifting Harry up in their hands and carrying him bridal style somewhere. He tried to open his eyes to see who it was but was unable to. He tried to say that he was alright, that it was unnecessary, that he was just a bit tired but the only thing that came out was a soft incoherent mumble. And then he was placed in a very large, very comfortable bed and he was asleep before he could say Thank you.

Now that he was awake he took the time to look a bit around him but still did not really recognize the room. When he pondered about it, it was probably Sorshun that put him to bed and he could feel warmth spread inside his chest and on his cheeks both. And then he saw the man himself staring at him thoughtfully, sitting on a squashy chaise longue near the bed.

"Good morning my prince."


End file.
